Parasiticide



Patented June 3, 1941 PARA'SITIOIDE William P. ter Horst, Packanack Lake, N. J.,' assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey No Drawing. Application May 4, 1939, Serial No. {271,715

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in parasitlcide preparations.

It has been found that the reaction products of aliphatic ketones and ammonium thiocyanate possess valuable insecticidal and insect-repellent properties on a variety of insects and insect larvae. The compounds may be used not only as agricultural insecticides but also as household insecticides, particularly as mothproofing agents.

A preferred compound is the reaction product of methyl ethyl ketone and ammonium thiocyanate which is believed to have the following constitution:

C( 3=CCzI-I mo, N=CNH (6-methyl-ei,6-(1iethyl-2'mercapto (lillydropyrimidine) The tautomeric form which is equivalent thereto is represented in the following formula:

Five Colorado potato beetle larvae were placed on Irish potato foliage in Petri dishes which had previously been dusted with the chemical to be tested. In the control experiment, in which no insecticide was used, all five larvae were alive at the end of 48 hours, and approximately 50-70% of the foliage had been eaten. In the experiment in which the reaction product of methyl ethyl ketone and ammonium thiocyanate had been applied to the foliage, the larvae completely stopped feeding after 24 hours, and at the end of 48 hours the mortality was 40%.

A similar experiment carried out with the reaction product of methyl-amyl ketone and ammonium thiocyanate gave even better results. At the end of 24 hours, the mortality was 100%, and the amount of foliage eaten was negligible.

The reaction product of methyl ethyl ketone and ammonium thiocyanate was found to be effective also on Mexican bean beetle larvae and Southern armyworm larvae.

The materials referred to above may be used in the form of sprays or dusts, alone or in combination with other insecticides or fungicides, or

1 5 with inert materials, or with auxiliary ingredill ents such as wetting agents, sticking agents, S

spreadmg agents and the like. (6-metliyl 4,6-dlethyl 2thiotetrahydropyrimidine) For use as mothproofing agents suitable A manner of Preparing the present chemicals vents such as diacetone-alcohol, dioxan, glycerol is shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,131,790. dichlorhydrine, epichlorhydrine, o-dichlorbenzol,

Similar products may be prepared from reetc., maybe used. acting ammonium thiocyanate with other ketones Having thus described my invention, what I such as acetone, diacetone-alcohol, methyl-isoclaim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: propyl ketone, methyl amyl ketone, and those 1. An insecticide preparation containing as an ketones which are referred to as 0-7 ketones active ingredient a product obtainable by the and C-8 ketones which are made by the conreaction of an aliphatic ketone and ammonium densation of acetone and methyl-ethyl-ketone or thiocyanate. of the condensation of methyl-ethyl-ketone with 2. An insecticide preparation containing as an itself. active ingredient a product obtainable by the The invention is illustrated below using the 40 reaction of adialkyl ketone and ammonium thioreaction product of methyl ethyl ketone and cyanate. ammonium thiocyanate. 3. An insecticide preparation containing as an Wool cloth was soaked in a solution of the active ingredient a product obtainable by the rereaction product of methyl ethyl ketone and action of methyl ethyl ketone and ammonium ammonium thiocyanate in an appropriate solvent thiocyanate. and allowed to dry. The cloth strips were then V 4. An insecticide preparation containing as an placed in cardboard boxes and five larvae of the active ingredient a trialkyl-substituted mercapto black carpet beetle (Attagenus piceus) added to pyrimidine. each box. The degree of feeding was noted 5. An insecticide preparation containing as an weekly for thre weeks. The results are tabuactive incredient a 6-alkyl-4,6-dialkyl-2-merlated below: capto diphydropyrimidine.

End of 1st week End of 2nd week End of 3rd week Untreated cloth Heavyfeeding Heavyieeding Heavy feeding. Cloth treated with 1% solution otthereaction product oimcthyl Very slight Very slight Very slight.

ethyl ketone and ammonium thiocyanate in dioxan. 1% solution of the reaction product of methyl ethyl ketone and No feeding No feeding No feeding.

ammonium thiocyanate in glycerol dichlorhydrine.

Additional tests were made as follows:

6. An insecticide preparation containing as an active ingredient 6-methyl-4,6-diethyl-2-mer- 8. An insecticide solution which may be used capto dihydropyrimidine. as a mothpx'ooflng agent containing as an active '7. An insecticide solution containing as an ingredient the reaction product 01' methyl ethyl active ingredient a product obtainable by the ketone and ammonium thiocyanate'.

reaction of a. diaikyl ketone and ammonium thio- 5 cyanete. WILLIAM P. ma HORST. 

